Editing Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania (section)

===French and Indian War===
The colonial powers of [[New France]] and the British [[Thirteen Colonies]] fought for control of the trading routes in the [[Ohio River Valley]] in what was at the time the northwestern frontier of America. The French were the first to explore the upper reaches of the Ohio and [[Mississippi River]] valleys. They built several forts in what is now western Pennsylvania, including [[Fort Duquesne]] in what is now [[Pittsburgh]]. Fort Duquesne was built on the remains of [[Fort Prince George]] which the French had seized from the British. [[George Washington]] was sent by the colonial governor of [[Virginia]] to try to retake the all-important fort at the [[confluence]] of the [[Allegheny River|Allegheny]] and [[Monongahela River]]s. He was on two expeditions that passed through the Ohiopyle area. Washington tried to use the Youghiogheny River as a means to reach Fort Duquesne quickly, but was forced to abandon the river passage by the waterfalls in the Ohiopyle area. Still Washington pressed on to the Pittsburgh area. His troops encountered and routed a small party of French soldiers in the [[Battle of Jumonville Glen]]. One of these soldiers escaped to Fort Duquesne. Washington was forced to quickly build a fort to prepare for the oncoming French attack. [[Fort Necessity]] is just to the southwest of Ohiopyle State Park. The colonial forces of Washington were overwhelmed by the French and their Indian allies in the [[Battle of the Great Meadows]] at Fort Necessity.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ohiopyle.co/pages/history | title=The History of Ohiopyle }}</ref> These battles are considered the opening shots of the French and Indian War which would spread to the [[Old World]] and become the [[Seven Years' War]]. The loss at Fort Necessity marked Washington's only military surrender. The British ultimately won the French and Indian war and the French were forced to leave western Pennsylvania.